1. Field
Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to speakers, and more particularly, to speaker protection.
2. Background
Audio loudness in mobile devices may have a significant impact on user experience. For this reason, higher output volume is becoming a requirement in mobile devices (e.g., tablets and cell phones). To provide higher volume, speaker drivers are required to deliver higher output power to speakers. However, micro speakers used in mobile devices cannot withstand being continuously driven at high power due to, for example, excessive membrane excursion and overheating. However, high power can be delivered to a micro speaker for a short period of time as long as the membrane excursion and the voice coil temperature of the speaker are monitored. Once the speaker approaches a failure limit (sensed using a monitoring circuit), this information is fed back to a volume controller to lower the volume and keep the speaker in a safe operating region.